Happy Birthday
by moi-moi819
Summary: A birthday request done for arashi wolf princess. Atem/Kagome. One-Shot.


_Disclaimer: moi-moi819 does not own Yu-Gi-Oh, Inuyasha, or any of their titles therein. This is a nonprofit fanfiction. No copyright infringement was intended._

Moi-Moi: What's up everybody!? I'm back once again with a brand new one-shot for your reading pleasure. This was requested by vampygurl402 for arashi wolf princess as a birthday gift. Now, _that's _a caring friend. ;) Happy Birthday arashi wolf princess!

(P.S. My birthday was on the 19th. ;)

Warnings: Kagome may be a little OOC here. The way I see it, I'm not really using the Kagome that grew up in Japan and time travelled for years. So, it's all good. Also, my hair looks super fabulous right now. You may want to look away. I might blind you. ;)

~:~

While I was still a child, my mother, father, Yugi, and I had spent our time travelling the world. We visited many different and unique places- each with their own culture and taste. I loved seeing new places. My father and I shared a love for adventure while my mother simply delighted in seeing us- their family- happy.

Just before my seventh birthday, Yugi and I lost both our parents in a terrible car accident. Yugi was only three. We were driving from the airport to our grandfather's home in Domino, Japan. My father, Akunumkahnon, had wanted to surprise our grandfather with a family visit. While enroute, an oncoming car failed to stop in time and collided with the side of our rental car.

My mother had seen the car first. With an adrenaline rush like no other fueling my actions, I was able to shield Yugi with my slightly larger body and keep him pressed into the car door farthest away from the impact. I couldn't remember much after that, but I was told that they had found Yugi and I unconscious and my parents were DOA.

After the death of our parents, my brother Yugi and I were taken in by our grandfather Solomon Moto. Grandpa Moto did his best to raise us on his small budget. He tried not to let it show, but I could tell that he was struggling. It was years later before I discovered that Grandpa had been amounting a large amount of debts that the income from the Kame Game Shop couldn't pay off.

~:~

It was August 30th. My family had just moved to the United States in order to start life anew. I was ten then. Grandpa had high hopes for moving to the "Land of Opportunity". It had been a while since I'd travelled anywhere. I would be the first to admit that the new scenery was uplifting. Yugi was more than happy. Then again, it never took much to make Yugi happy.

We had moved to a small, suburban neighborhood where the houses barely looked any different and all the lawns were freshly cut and bright green. It was quiet. The only sounds this new neighborhood made were the twittering of birds and maybe the distant sound of a lawnmower going.

"Atem, are you alright?" Grandpa asked me when he caught me staring off into space.

"I'm alright, Grandpa. Just a little tired," I explained to him. Grandpa stared at me for a few more seconds before nodding to himself. He grabbed a suitcase and a box as he left, leading Yugi into our new home. I moved to grab my backpack and head into the house. I had unpacking to do.

"Hi," I heard a small voice stop me. My brows furrowed as I looked around me in confusion. Behind me, a small girl was standing with a small smile in her face. She had her raven hair up in two, twin ponytails held together by white ribbons. She had on a white dress with bright red cherries scattered across it and red rain boots. A tiny orange, black, and white kitten was hanging in her arms. She was _adorable. _Her blue eyes blinked up at me curiously.

"Hello," I offered slowly.

"Are you moving in here?" she went on.

"Yes. I'm moving in with my family," I told her. My answer must have pleased her greatly because her face lit up in a bright smile that was missing a front tooth. If it was even possible, she became ten times cuter.

"That's good. There aren't many kids to play with in the neighborhood and a lot of them won't play with me because Buyo keeps scratching them," she said hugged her kitten closer to her. I guessed that Buyo was her cat. "My name's Kagome by the way."

"My name is Atem. It's nice to meet you," I told her.

"You have pretty hair and eyes. I don't think I could have hair that color. It would look silly on me. But I think it's looks nice on you," she says while tugging on one of her pigtails with a frown. One of my hands travelled to my tri-colored, star-shaped hair. My hair was… exotic to say the least. Yugi and I had the same blonde, black, and violet hair and violet eyes. We inherited it from our father. I'm sure that in Grandpa's youth, he had the same extravagant features. The only thing I could base my assumption on were his aged, violet eyes.

"Atemu! Can you help me? I can't find Kuriboh," I could hear Yugi exclaim from behind me. Both Kagome and looked behind me to see Yugi toddling towards us. Kagome looked ecstatic to see yet another person to play with. When Yugi noticed her, he stopped and let his eyes go wide. "That's a pretty kitty!" he exclaimed while zipping past me, his stuffed Kuriboh toy completely forgotten.

"His name's Buyo. My Mama let me adopt him. He's a nice kitty but he doesn't like it when people touch him…" Kagome explained.

"But, _you're_ touching him," Yugi pointed out.

"He likes _me,"_ Kagome grinned.

I had been worried that Yugi wouldn't make any friends in our new home. But, Kagome had quickly put those fears to rest. She had made fast friends with Yugi and the two of them became nearly inseparable. While Kagome loved playing with Yugi, she wasn't happy with having only Yugi as a friend. She had a keen way of dragging me into whatever game she and Yugi had cooked up, no matter how silly it seemed.

"Explain the rules of his game to me again, Kagome," I told her and I adjusted the pot on my head.

Kagome shook her head with a sigh before approaching me and fixing the pot back into the position she had initially placed it in over my head. "It's not a game, Atemu. It's an _adventure_. You have to stand here with this box in order to catch the Ruffalumps when they come at you," she told me in a tone reserved for explaining difficult matters to children.

"Okay. Why do I need the pot over my head?" I asked her next.

"It's protective head gear. Everyone knows that Ruffalumps go for the head first," Kagome told me and had me hold a rather large postage box over my head. She turned to face Yugi, who was wearing a wok over his entire head and a hockey stick in his tiny hands. Even though he probably couldn't see anything, Yugi was grinning widely. "Yugi is going to scare the Ruffalumps out of the ground and when they come out, you have to catch them in the box. If any try to go the other way, I'll try to send them your way. Okay! Let's do this, team!"

Kagome skipped down to the other side of the street before adjusting the saucepan on her head. I could only imagine what we must have looked like to the random car that drove by. Even so, I couldn't bring myself to care. Yugi's loud laughter as he struck down on the grassy ground with the hockey stick and Kagome's excited squeals were too uplifting. "Atem, here they come!" she yelled at me. At the last second, I was able to cover my front with the box just before a small, brown blur flew inside. I nearly toppled back in surprise. What was _that_?

"Atemu did it! He caught the Ruffalump!" Yugi was cheering from under his wok. I was in too much shock to question what had happened. Kagome and Yugi approached me before slowly peeking into the box in my arms. "It's the Ruffalump."

Dubiously, I looked down at whatever it was in the box. "It looks like a gopher," I told them. Kagome and Yugi blinked up at me owlishly. "I like it," Kagome commented, "Gopher the Ruffalump." I didn't have the heart to correct her.

~:~

We could have gone on like that forever. Playing made-up games and going on pretend adventures around the neighborhood, but we all have to grow up eventually. I was seventeen now just about ready to head off to college. Kagome was fifteen and Yugi was thirteen. Where had the time gone?

"It's so _hot_. How do you stand those?" Kagome groaned from where she laid on the couch. I stopped flicking through the channels on the television to offer her a glance. She lifted one foot off my lap to poke at my jeans with her toes.

"It's seventy-four degrees in here. How are you hot?" I asked her with an amused smile. Instead of answering, she let out a loud groan. I didn't bother holding back my chuckle.

"Are you guys alright out here?" I heard Yugi ask as he entered our living room. I shook my head before going back to my channel surfing.

"I'm _dying_ in here Yugi. Please tell me Atemu's playing a trick on me and that the A/C's broken," Kagome pleaded.

Yugi raised a brow. "No… It's working fine," he told her. This brought out another groan as Kagome covered her face with one of the pillows on the couch. "How could you be hot? You're wearing shorts and a tank top."

"I think it's Captain Leather over there. Sitting next to him is like sitting next to a furnace," Kagome remarked.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Is that your oh so subtle way of calling me hot?" I smirked at her. She threw her pillow at my face. Yugi laughed at us while taking a seat on the available love seat and pulling one knee up to his chest.

"I don't know what possessed me to become your friend. Atemu. I could have just stayed inside my house that day. I could have played with my dolls," Kagome complained at the ceiling.

"Would your dolls have gone Ruffalump hunting with you and helped you discover buried treasure?" Yugi inputted. Yugi and I shared a look while Kagome rolled her eyes with a fond smile.

"Why were you wearing rain boots that day? It was the middle of summer and hadn't rained for weeks," I asked her. I could still picture how she looked all those years ago. I could never forget how she looked.

"It was a phase. I had just gotten those boots. They were favorite thing to wear," she explained with a grin. "I suppose I should feel flattered that you still remember what I wore."

"You made a lasting impression," I offered before deciding to settle on a news station.

Kagome let out a disgusted noise before snatching away the remote. "I don't know what to make of you. You wear leather pants, read classic novels, play children's card games, and watch the news. You are _terribly_ confused. I don't know whether you're a teenager or an old man trapped in a teenager's body," Kagome fussed. I only gave her foot a slight squeeze in response. This was a bad decision.

Lately, there would be moments n time where Kagome or I would catch each other's attention before being locked in a battle where neither of us would look away. Along with these staring contests, the feeling of time stopping altogether and the room heating up slightly was normal. It must have been the sudden spike in temperature that made twin blushes rise up our cheeks. Across the room, I could see Yugi rolling his eyes with a sigh. I raised a brow at him in question, but he only shook his head.

"So… college? Are you ready?" Kagome tried to change the subject.

"I'm all set," I told her. I was attending college upstate. I didn't feel comfortable going too far away from home even though Grandpa and Yugi were more than enthusiastic for me to. They insisted that I didn't need to keep an eye on them and that going to college was meant for me to get an education rather than constantly worry about them. Kagome, however, had been pleased to hear of my choice. The closer I was, the easier I was to watch out for. She had insisted that I would always need her help and guidance. I didn't fight her on it.

"He's almost finished packing," Yugi supplied. Kagome frowned slightly wile staring at the remote in her hands. I was about to question her on it but the phone chose that moment to ring. "I'll get it," Yugi supplied and slipped out of the room. I could hear him answer the phone in the kitchen.

"So, you're not going to forget your best friend after you go away to start a new life as a college student Are you?" she started and sat up slowly.

I could instantly feel the cold air on my legs where her feet had rested. "Of course not," I answered and tucked a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. She froze and allowed me to groom her before sighing. "What's wrong?" I questioned her immediately. I could always tell when something was bothering her. I paid far more attention to her than necessary.

"…You remember that cheesy movie we saw last weekend? The one with the two best friends that ended up making a porno o pay for their bills?" she asked me. That was a strange thing to ask. Why was she thinking about _that_ at a time like this?

"…Yes?" I answered slowly. "What does that have to do with me leaving?"

"N-nothing. I was just mentioning that _those_ two were best friends… and _we're _best friends…" she trailed off. Was she insinuating that we would be filming pornography together? My face flamed and I quickly cleared my throat. Under the fresh embarrassment, there were trace amounts of guilt and hope. I hoped that that was what she was insinuating, but I felt guilty for doing so.

For as long as I could remember, Kagome had been like a younger sibling. I had always watched out for her the way I did Yugi. I wasn't quite sure when I started to see her as a girl- no, a young woman. She wasn't so little anymore…

"Wait! That came out wrong! Never mind! Forget I said anything," she rushed with a nervous laugh. I prided myself on my ability to read people- especially the girl before me. If her blush, shifty eyes, and wringing hands were anything to go by, I had one shot at this. I leaned in and placed my lips on hers. I wasn't sure, but it felt like she was smiling into the kiss. I had been right.

~:~

Moi-Moi: I just want to say another Happy Birthday to arashi wolf princess even though your birthday isn't until the 30th. I just couldn't keep this to myself until then… Whoops? ^.^

Edited: 8/23/14


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